Menu

SIVC-YES!

Are you looking for a challenge? Do you want to make the world a better place, meet great people, and experience university life? Develop skills in designing, building and launching a social enterprise? Join Laurier’s Social Innovation & Venture Creation (SIVC) team for the Youth Education Summit (YES!) where you’ll meet other local and international students and community leaders. You’ll live in residence and learn from university professors about design thinking, planning a business or event, and the importance of having young people use their power and passions to make a positive difference in the world.

Become a leader. Change the world. Join SIVC-YES!

What is SIVC-YES!

SIVC-YES! is an elite program to enhance and further develop leadership skills in young people who want to do well by doing good.

By working in teams and with faculty, university students and community members, YES! participants will develop their leadership and collaboration skills while working on projects, products and events that have a positive social impact. Students will be trained in design thinking, agile innovation, the Business Model Canvas and more. In so doing, they will learn how to test, validate, and scale their ideas. The key to innovation is a positive environment where early failures are valuable for the insights they generate. SIVC YES! will help youth learn more about the tools and mindset that go into innovation while also gaining comfort in a post-secondary environment that includes residence living, learning from professors and current university students, and experiencing life away from home. SIVC-YES! is an exclusive opportunity to give youth a competitive advantage in innovation and entrepreneurship, make new friends, ease the transition to post-secondary education, learn more about the K-W region, while expanding their minds and skill to take on the worlds most challenging problems.

Important Dates

February 15th – Applications Open (a $30* CDN, non-refundable, application fee is waived for a limited time only!)

March 31st – Early Bird Pricing Ends ($4500* CDN)

April 29th – Applications for Regular Pricing Closes ($5200* CDN)

May 6th – First installment of Registration Fees Due ($2500* CDN)

June 10th – Second installment of Registration Fees Due

July 3rd – July 17th : SIVC-YES! Participants Arrive and Stay at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo

July 17th – SIVC-YES! Participants return home

July 17th – July 24th – Participants Collaborate Online to complete their Social Innovation Pitches and Portfolios

What’s Included

Exposure to the university environment including working directly with faculty and staff, and current Laurier students.

Community-based learning in collaboration with community leaders, corporate partners, and mentors.

Work-integrated learning to gain skills and experience through doing Project development in collaboration with Future Design School.

Programming in the Purpose Lab, Laurier’s on-campus social innovation space.